Jaina thinkers have one hundred and forty-eight sub-varieties
of karmas, but main categories are only eight. They are-
1.Jnanavarana, 2.Darsanavarana, 3.Vedaniya, 4.Mohaniya, 5.Ayus,
6. Nama, 7.Gotra and 8. Antaraya. the word avarana' means a
screen'. We have already discussed what is Jnana' and
what is Darsana'. So first two karmas are of the type which
respectively screen from us true knowledge and true perception.

(1) Jnanavarana : We have seen that knowledge is of
five types, namely, Mati, Sruta, Avadhi, Manah-paryaya and
Kevala. Hence the Karmas which screen knowledge are also of five
varieties, depending upon which type of knowledge is screened.
When we see different varieties of intellectual developments in
human beings and other creations, the difference can be explained
by the type of knowledge-Screening karmas. When these karmas are
fully destroyed the soul achieves Kevala-jnana'.

(2) Darsanavarana : These are the karmas which screen
the physical as well as mental perceptions, and do not allow the
self to have right perspectives of things and thoughts. They are
of nine varieties. They obscure visual and non-visual
apprehensions and induce five kinds of sleep.

(3) Vedaniya : The word Vedana' means feeling.
This Karma therefore generates the feelings of pleasure and pain
which are called Sata-vedaniya and Asata-vedaniya Karmas.

(4) Mohaniya : Moha' means attachment. This is
the most dangerous, out of all the eight karmas because
Moha' (attachment) is the root cause of all Kasayas
(passions) which are, in the main, four in number. They are as
follows-1. Krodha, 2.Mana, 3.Maya and 4. Lobha, meaning thus : 1.
Anger, 2. Pride. 3. Deceit and 4. Greed. Mohaniya Karmas are of
twenty-eight kinds, but they are broadly classified into two,
namely Darsana mohaniya', i.e., those that obscure right
vision, and Caritra-mohaniya', i.e., those which obscure
right conduct. The former is further sub-divided into three and
the later into twenty-five.

If Mohaniya karmas are destroyed fully, the self becomes free
from all Kasayas', i.e., passions and hence it is said
Kasaya-mukti kila muktireva' means Verily, freedom
from passions is the real freedom'.

There is a very beautiful and instructive story in the life of
Gautam, the principal disciple of Mahavira, to show how this
Mohaniya Karma obstructs the final enlightenment. We have noticed
how Sri Indrabhuti Gautam came in contact with Mahavira and how
he eventually became his principal disciple. According to
scriptures, all principal sermons of the master were addressed to
Gautam and there was a sort of great teacher-disciple
(Guru-sisya) bond between the two. After a number of years when
the master got Nirvana (died), Gautama was not physically present
by his side. So when he heard the news about the death of the
master, he felt greatly bereaved and greatly lamented the
personal loss caused to him. He found that many of the
house-holders who were the lay followers of the master could
achieve Kevala-jnana' (final knowledge) but he could not
achieve it even though he was the principal disciple to whom the
lord preferred to disclose every truth. Now that the master had
passed, away, how would he be able to achieve that which he could
not achieve when he was alive, thought Gautam. This grief set him
to thinking, and while this process of grief-stricken thinking
was going on, he suddenly realized that the master was so often
emphasising that attachment (moha) was the root cause of all
other Kasavas (passions), and the attachment even for the soul
like Mahavira was no better than the attachment for any other
worldly object so far as its binding character is concerned. As
the story has it, the moment Gautam realized that attachment to
the physical existence and form of the master was working as a
screen to the final knowledge (Kavala-jnana), he could remove
that screen and saw the enlightenment, the final knowledge. The
story illustrates the brilliant exposition of the working of
Darsanavaraniya' karma resulting from attachment (Moha).

It is proper to bear in mind that attachment is not
love'. Pure love has no attachments. The root verb of the
word Moha' is Muh' (to fascinate). So the noun
Moha' means fascination' while the Samskrta
equivalent of the word love is (Prema). Thus the connotations of
the words Moha' and Prema' are entirely different.
Prema' (love) has no strings and no infatuation.
Moha' has both. If infatuation or attachment for a master
like Mahavira prevents the progress of soul, what to talk of our
infatuations for our worldly relations and material possessions.

Ayus - The word Ayusya' means duration of life.
This Karma determines the period of longevity of every life. One
has to live the duration of that period is over. They are divided
into four.

Nama - The word Nama' means name or designation.
This Karma determines the type of body and physical qualities
which a Jiva possesses in a particular life. Physical personality
and qualities are determined by these karmas. They are of one
hundred and three types.

Gotra - This Karma determines the type of the family in
which the self is born. One's birth in a particular family of
humans or other creations is determined by the Gotra-karmas which
he has acquired. These Gotra-karmas are of two types, namely,
favourable and unfavourable surroundings.

Antaraya - The word means obstructions. In life we find
some persons getting unexpected obstructions of various types
which cannot have any rational explanation from the known facts
and circumstances. A laymen would call them accidental. They are,
however, not decidental, but are the result of past karmas
wherein the self has been responsible for causing similar
obstructions. This Karma is of five types.

This, in short, is the description of eight main karmas. Out
of them first four are of striking or obstructive nature and are
termed Ghati' (means striking) because they come in the way
of soul's progress in the spiritual in the spiritual journey. So
long as they exist, salvation is away. The rest are not so
dangerous and if the first four are destroyed, the rest cling to
the self only till life time.

This detailed classification of different types of Karmas
explains the diversities and complexities, incongruities and
inequities of life in general. It conveys a lesson of
responsibility that each one of us is put in a particular
situation-good or bad as a result of our own past or present
action-both mental and physical, that the things done by us can
also be undone by us and that our future is in our own hands. It
is said Kadana Kammana Na Mokkha Atthi' means There
is no salvation without enjoying the fruits of action'. It is
therefore futile to blame others for our ills. If one realizes
this apparently simple fact, how peaceful the life on our earth
would be.